DICE: Driving Innovation in Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Research in the UK
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Sch of Chemical and Environmental Eng
Abstract
Historically, chemistry and chemical engineering have been divided in UK universities, and this division is becoming increasingly serious. There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between the two disciplines and chemistry-based industry in the UK because the health of industry and academia are mutually dependent. The chemical industry is a major contributor to the UK economy but it faces unprecedented pressures (for example from global competition) which can only be countered by rapid and sustained innovation. However UK chemistry and chemical engineering departments simply do not currently have the interdisciplinary capacity to underpin this demand for innovation. Current progress is too slow and the UK lags way behind many countries, particularly USA, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan. DICE is a joint proposal from chemists and engineers which seizes the unique opportunity presented by the Science & Innovation Call to create a completely new research environment with the potential to catapult the UK to the forefront of this field. DICE will immediately deliver 6 new young lecturers with the support needed to launch research at the Chem./Chem. Eng. interface. Over 5 years, DICE will reshape the whole academic supply-chain (from undergraduate to postdoctoral) to provide a stream of researchers to sustain the continuous UK expansion of academic and industrial innovation at this interface. DICE will deliver new science and new technology, bringing engineering into areas where it is underexploited. Our programme pulls new ideas and techniques into the UK from across the world to strengthen and re-invigorate the UK research base. DICE builds on internationally acclaimed research successes at Nottingham which cut right across the Chem./Chem. Eng. divide. The nucleus is a group of chemists and chemical engineers whose work spans pure and applied research and links academia with industry. The. group has achieved on a small-scale what must be achieved nationally in this area. DICE builds on and expands their approach to create a Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Partnership, with a range of skills unique on a world scale, capable of making a substantial impact on UK science. DICE will drive the dissemination of ideas to universities and industry across the UK. Our Proposal involves several radically new initiatives(I) Flexi-Chairs: a completely new type of post to enable internationally-leading chemical engineers with a track-record at the Chem./Chem. Eng. interface to make extended visits to the UK to inject ideas and best practice from overseas. The Flexi-Chairs will be given postdoctoral support to initiate new, cutting-edge research in the UK; researchers from the USA, Japan & EU have already expressed great interest in the Flexi-Chairs. (ii) New research initiatives with high potential, including catalysis/biocatalysis, reaction chemistry, polymer synthesis and processing, instrumentation/process monitoring, photonics/devices, multi-scale modelling and education. (iii) Placement of Outreach Postdoctoral Researchers in leading chemical engineering departments at Birmingham, Imperial College, Newcastle and Sheffield, creating new partnerships to seed new research at the Chem./Chem. Eng. interface, and to train young researchers as candidates for the new generation of academics in this area. Each PDRA will work with a PhD student funded by the university hosting the placement. (iv) Flexible secondments to bring in key UK and EU industrial researchers to academia for both inward and outward knowledge transfer and to help the new staff in establishing their own industrial links.The University of Nottingham supports DICE very strongly and will commit more than 1M to fund two extra lectureships, additional Flexi-chairs, two technicians and a business development officer, all dedicated to this Project. In addition, the University will fund and provide dedicated flagship space to incubate the new research.
Publications
Adlington K
(2016)
Molecular Design of Squalene/Squalane Countertypes via the Controlled Oligomerization of Isoprene and Evaluation of Vaccine Adjuvant Applications.
in Biomacromolecules
Adlington K
(2013)
Direct 'in situ', low VOC, high yielding, CO2 expanded phase catalytic chain transfer polymerisation: towards scale-up.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Ang S
(2010)
Palladium-vanadium alloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction: Effect of heat treatment on electrocatalytic activity and stability
in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Ang S
(2010)
Highly stable platinum electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction formed using supercritical fluid impregnation
in Journal of Power Sources
Asfaw N
(2007)
Empowering Green Chemists in Ethiopia
in Science
Boatwright A
(2011)
Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo?
in Journal of Chemical Education
Bonné M
(2010)
Boronic aciddendrimerreceptor modified nanofibrillar cellulose membranes
in J. Mater. Chem.
Bourne R
(2011)
Adaptive Process Optimization for Continuous Methylation of Alcohols in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
in Organic Process Research & Development
Ejigu A
(2011)
Iodide/triiodide electrochemistry in ionic liquids: Effect of viscosity on mass transport, voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy
in Electrochimica Acta
Eyley S
(2012)
Ferrocene-decorated nanocrystalline cellulose with charge carrier mobility.
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Description | The outreach work from this grant launched the YouTube channel the Periodic Table of Videos www.periodicvideos.com which has become one of the leading YouTube channels for Chemistry with over 1.15 million YouTube subscribers and over 1956 million views. |
Sector | Chemicals,Education,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
Description | EPSRC Responsive mode |
Amount | £737,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/P002382/1 and EP/P002455/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2016 |
End | 11/2019 |
Description | Photo-Electro: Transforming Chemical Synthesis, Discovery and Manufacture |
Amount | £6,486,390 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/P013341/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2017 |
End | 02/2022 |
Description | PTOV |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Periodic Table of videos is a YouTube website with one video for each of the 118 elements in the Periodic Table. DICE provided some of the initial funding to get the website started. It now (10th March 2017) has >152 Million YouTube views and 905k YouTube subscribers and 614 chemistry/engineering linked videos. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
URL | http://www.periodicvideos.com |
Description | Thunder and Lightning Demonstration Lectures |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Nottingham is famous for its explosive lecture given by the late Col. B. D. Shaw over a period of 60 years until 1990! The lecture has been resurrected and modernised for the 21st Century by Prof. Pete Licence and Mr. Jim Gamble with the assistance of the Public Awareness Scientist. It has become increasingly popular. Not only is it performed in house as part of the Salters' Institute and Science Week events (10 lectures were delivered in the year 2007 alone each time with an audience of >200 schoolchildren), but it has also been taken to lecture halls in Bolton (in front of 3000 people), and Manchester (audience of 500). The demand for this lecture is such that it is delivered twice during the University's annual public open day, May Fest, and also during the annual A-level Afternoon in January in the School of Chemistry. It has therefore raised the profile of the University amongst the local community and schools and colleges. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |
URL | http://nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry/informationforschools/activitiesforsecondaryschoolsandcolleges.asp... |